Creality K1C power consumption: watts, kWh and cost

A Creality K1C uses about 0.14 kWh per hour of PLA printing, an average of about 144 W with heat-up included. At the US average price of $0.179 per kWh, that is 2.6 cents an hour. Spot readings in a second review ran 150 to 250 W, and Creality rates the printer at 350 W.

How much power does the Creality K1C use?

The Creality K1C averaged about 144 W in game2gether’s test: 0.12 kWh for a 50-minute PLA Benchy, heat-up included. ThePhonograph.net read 150 to 250 W for most of a print, with brief spikes to 450 W. It idles at 9 to 11 W, and Creality rates it at 350 W.

State	Watts	kWh per hour	Cost per hour at $0.179
Whole PLA print, average (game2gether)	144 W	0.144	$0.026
Printing, low end	150 W	0.150	$0.027
Printing, high end	250 W	0.250	$0.045
Lowest reading while printing	96 W	0.096	$0.017
Rated maximum	350 W	0.350	$0.063

The two reviews measured different things. game2gether metered one whole job, so its figure includes the brief heat-up peak, which reached 400 W in its test. ThePhonograph.net took spot readings during prints after preheating, using Creality’s Hyper PLA and CR-Silk at 300 mm/s, and does not name its meter. Neither review published an ABS figure. The price is the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s residential average for the 12 months ending June 2026, so swap in your own bill’s rate.

What is the Creality K1C wattage?

The K1C is rated at 350 W on either a 100 to 120 V or a 200 to 240 V supply. Its bed heats to 100 °C and its nozzle to 300 °C. The rating is what the outlet must be able to supply, not what the meter bills. ThePhonograph.net recorded brief spikes to 450 W, above the rating. Allow for them when you plan a shared circuit.

How many amps does the K1C draw at 120 V?

At its 350 W rating the K1C draws 2.9 A at 120 V. The 450 W spikes come to 3.75 A, and the 144 W whole-print average to 1.2 A.

A long print counts as a continuous load under the National Electrical Code (NEC), so it may use only 80 percent of the breaker: 12 A on a 15 A circuit. Even at a 450 W spike the K1C takes 31 percent of that limit. The circuit capacity calculator shows how many printers fit on one circuit.

How much does a K1C print cost in electricity?

Multiply the watts by the print hours and divide by 1,000 for kWh, then multiply by your price per kWh:

kWh  = watts × hours ÷ 1000
cost = kWh × price per kWh

4-hour PLA print at 144 W: 144 × 4 ÷ 1000 = 0.58 kWh  →  0.58 × $0.179 = $0.10
At 150 to 250 W:           0.6 to 1.0 kWh               →  $0.11 to $0.18
Ceiling at 350 W:          1.4 kWh                      →  $0.25

A 4-hour PLA print costs about 10 to 18 cents, and no more than 25 cents even at the full rating for all four hours. The electricity cost calculator reruns this with your own rate or a smart plug reading.

How much power does the K1C use on standby?

The K1C idles at 9 to 11 W, per game2gether’s measurement; Creality publishes no standby figure. Left on around the clock for a 30-day month, that is 6.5 to 7.9 kWh, about $1.16 to $1.42. That is the electricity for over ten 4-hour prints, so switch the printer off between jobs.